Your wedding is likely to be one of the more expensive days of your life, but it’s also going to be the most special. A lot of people contact us and ask “can you get a loan for your wedding?” So before taking out a loan, we wanted to run through a few things to consider when planning the wedding.

What is the cost of a wedding in New Zealand?

When you’re planning your wedding it’s a great idea to sit down and make a list of all costs you expect to have on your wedding day. This will vary from person to person, but according to a number of Kiwi sites, the average cost of a wedding in New Zealand is $35,000. Obviously this can be higher or lower depending on what you want from your dream day. So we’ve listed a few of the common costs for you to consider when you’re working out your wedding budget.

• Wedding venue. This is one that will be different with every ceremony. You might want to hire a fully stocked function centre, or do it in your back yard. The options are endless, but this is one of the biggest costs on the day.
• Food and drinks. You might want to get a catering company to organise everything or even do it yourself. Be sure to set the number of guests before planning for this, and as a word of warning; it’s usually more expensive than you planned.
• Wedding dress and suits. This is often the first thing the bride thinks about, and again will vary greatly depending on what you’re looking for. Whilst the wedding dress is often bought, a lot of men will hire their suits for the day to save money.
• Photographs and video are another great addition and will allow you to always remember your special day. Shop around and ask friends and family about great photographers they’ve seen over the years.
• Flowers and decorations. This is one that can quickly blow the budget, so be sure to plan these well in advance and get a range of quotes.
• A marriage licence is also another cost people forget about. If you use a celebrant it’s only $150 in New Zealand.
• A band or a DJ will make a great addition to the reception. Again it’s a great idea to talk to people and see if there is someone they’d recommend. Word of mouth really is the best way to ensure you get a great entertainer.

How can you save money with your wedding?

Some great tips to save money on your wedding day include

• Have the ceremony during the week instead of the weekend.
• Design your own invitations online and get them printed much cheaper.
• Use a cheap and easy to design website to manage the RSVP’s.
• Start shopping for the dress early and try and take advantage of seasonal sales or even samples.
• Choose a photographer who is just starting out.
• Have the ceremony and reception in the same venue, and reuse the furniture to save hiring two sets.
• Get a polaroid camera and pass it around the guests for a fun and cost effective source of entertainment/memories.
• Pre purchase your alcohol when it’s on special. And stick to just one or two varieties.
• Cut the cake cost – donut walls are an extremely popular addition and will save a fortune on your dessert bill.
• Get a DJ instead of a band (you’re only paying for one person to perform).
• Check out independent websites for tips on saving money. brides.com and herecomesgtheguide.com offer some great suggestions.

Can you get a loan for the wedding dress?

You can use a Pronto loan for all sorts of things. We’ve had a number of customers over the years who have taken out an online loan to buy their wedding dress. Whether you’re looking online or are visiting local wedding boutiques, you may be able to negotiate with the dressmaker if you’ve got cash on hand to buy the dress. Remember there are a range of options when buying a dress, and you don’t always have to spend all of your money to achieve the desired look. We’ve had a couple of customers who have saved a fortune by buying a sample wedding dress. So be sure to shop around, but if you need us to help finance your dream dress, you can use one of our easy wedding loans to do so.

Can I get a loan for my honeymoon?

The honeymoon is another cost a lot of people can overlook. And again you can make it as expensive or cost effective as you want. So if you’re looking to get a loan to make it extra special, we can offer flexible repayments to give you the chance to spread the cost over a number of affordable repayments once you’re back from your honeymoon. We also understand that sometimes you want the details of the honeymoon to be a surprise. So a wedding loan may be a way to achieve this. Just be sure that any financial obligations you take on aren’t going to upset your other half.

Can I get a wedding loan with a low interest rate?

When comparing loans for your wedding, you will want to ensure you pay as little interest as possible.  You can see all of the costs with a Pronto loan here. And the interest rate is often the largest cost of a loan. So just as you’d shop around for a wedding dress, it’s a good idea to shop around for low interest rates.

What do I need to get a wedding loan?

At Pronto our wedding loans are available online. It’s super easy to apply, you just need to jump onto our apply now page and complete the application form, which takes less than four minutes. We will be able to assess your loan within 9 minutes during business hours, and you can even do it all on your mobile while you’re out trying on wedding dresses.

We offer both secured and unsecured loans. Both with flexible repayment options, so you can spread the cost out and make repayments weekly, fortnightly or monthly. And with no early repayment fee, you’re able to use any money you get as a wedding gift to help pay off your loan and there won’t ever be a fee for paying it back early.

We will need you to have a valid NZ drivers licence or passport, and submit your bank statements when you apply. And with all of this on hand, we can hopefully help out with a low cost wedding loan that lets you have a perfect wedding day.